Anisotropic spin splitting in $\alpha$-MnTe epilayers on InP(111)A and Si(111) substrates

Abstract

$\alpha$-MnTe has emerged as a prototypical altermagnetic material, combining compensated antiferromagnetic order with momentum-dependent spin splitting. Here, we investigate the structural and electronic properties of epitaxial $\alpha$-MnTe layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy on InP(111)A and Si(111) substrates. The crystalline and surface quality of the epilayers was characterised by reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD), confirming the formation of high-quality, single-phase films. The transport measurements were performed, confirming an antiferromagnetic transition and weak ferromagnetism. The electronic structure was studied using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). At 90 K, both samples exhibit relativistic anisotropic valence band splitting, which is substantially larger along the $\Gamma$-K direction, reaching approximately 300 meV, than along $\Gamma$-M, where values of about 150~meV are observed. The magnitude and momentum dependence of the splitting are very similar for $\alpha$-MnTe grown on the two different substrates, indicating the robustness of the altermagnetic electronic structure with respect to the epitaxial environment.

arXiv comment12 pages, 6 figures